Continuous channel covering for window frames and the like



Sept. 12, 1967 J. o. KOHL. 3,340,665

CONTINUOUS CHANNEL COVERING FOR WINDOW FRAMES AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 23, 1965 2 Sheets-sheaf. l

INVENTOR JOHN 0. KOHL BY W ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY J. O. KOHL WINDOW FRAMES AND THE LIKE CONTINUOUS CHANNEL COVERING FOR JOHN 0. KOHL Sept. 12, 1967 7 Filed Sept. 23, 1963 United States Patent This invention relates to protective and ornamental coverings for window frames, door frames, and the like.

In the past, protective and ornamental coverings for such frames have been attached to the frame by sections, one for each of the corresponding members of the frame. Separately fabricating each of the individual sections is generally time-consuming and costly, and this is also normally exposed to the weather. Examples of suitable plastic materials from which the covering shell may be vacuum formed are sheets of vinyl resin, polystyrene or acrylate resin from .002.06 inch thick. The covering shell of plastic material is illustrated by the cut-out portion indicated at 40 in FIG. 1. This partial section of the shell true when assembling and fitting the covering to the frame structure. Furthermore, even though the individual sections are precisely fitted together, gaps occur at the joints, and these gaps are unsightly and provide a passageway for moisture, dust, and the like to seep into the frame structure thereby partially destroying the advantage of the protective feature of the covering.

It is an object of this invention to obviate the foregoing disadvantages of the prior art by providing a unitary plastic covering for the entire frame structure with no seams or gaps where the different portions of the covering, corresponding to the respective members of the frame, are joined. The covering shell of this invention may be formed by relatively inexpensive well-known molding or casting techniques to the desired shape and contour either directly on the finished wood frame unit on which it is to be used, or as a unitary structure and then slipped over the frame so that the latter seats firmly in the shell covering.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially sectioned perspective view showing an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view showing greater detail of the embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional View illustrating further details of the embodiment of this invention, and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

A wood casement window of common type is shown in the drawings. It comprises an upper horizontally disposed head jamb member 10' (FIG. 3), a lower horizontally disposed sill member 12, and vertically disposed jamb members 14, 15 and 16, the jamb member 15 being a mullion centrally located between the extremities of the horizontal members. The window frame members thus define rectangular openings 24 and 26 (FIGS. 2 and 3) for receiving window sash of any suitable type. Window glazing 27 and 29 is suitably mounted in the sashes 28 and 30 and the latter may be hingedly or otherwise mounted in the frame structure described. The window frame is preferably preformed and then mounted in a suitable opening in a rough wall 32, usually with a slight gap as indicated at 34, according to suitable or conventional procedure. Outer finish wall members of one common type are indicated at 36. Stop members, indicated at 37 and 38, also of conventional type, are provided for the sashes 28 and 30 respectively.

According to the present invention, a suitable plastic material is molded, preferably by vacuum forming techniques, into a rectangular structure corresponding to that of the window frame with each portion of the plastic structure having a channel-shaped cross section contoured to fit the profile of the respectively corresponding members of the frame. For exterior use the plastic channel members extend inwardly at least to a depth sufficient to cover the portions of the jamb and sill members which are conforms to the contour of the sill member 12 and covers all otherwise exteriorly exposed surfaces of said sill member. One side wall of the channel or shell extends along the upwardly facing surface of the sill member to a continuous upwardly projecting flange 46. An edge of the channel is designated by the bend line 42 at the base of the flange 46. Along the opposite edge 44 of the sill covering channel member, a planar flange 48 extends in a substantially vertical plane in overlying relationship to the outer surface of the rough wall member 32 in an area adjacent the outer peripheral surface of the wooden frame.

A more detailed sectional view of the covering channel for the sill member 12 is shown in FIG. 3. The channel shaped plastic covering extends as a unit, integral with the sill covering, over the portions of the head and side jamb frame members which would otherwise be exposed to the weather. The covering for the head jamb members 10 is indicated at 10a, and that for the side jamb members at 14a, 15a and 16a. Each jamb covering channel has an inner stop flange 50' which is integral with and in continuation of the flange 46, and a weather seal and attaching flange 52 like the flange 48 is formed on the outer peripheries of the channel coverings 10a, 14a and 16a for the jamb members.

As best shown in FIG. 1, the plastic channel members covering the outer surfaces of the window frame members, being molded as a unit without corner joints, effectively cover and seal the joints between the wood frame members. As further shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the continuous stop flanges 50 are contained in kerfs or grooves 54 formed in the overlying stop members 37. Similarly the flange 46 of the sill covering member is confined in a groove of the sill stop 37. Thus the flanges 46 and 50 perform the functions of locating the window stops and constituting weather seals like the seal and attaching flanges 48 and 52 at the outer periphery of the continuous, integral channel members.

An important feature of the channel cross section shape is the inward flare, without reentrant portions, so that the covering may be slipped over the outer portion of preformed window frames. It Will be evident that the covering channel throughout its length is narrowest along the outwardly facing edges of the several frame members. In other words, there are no reentrant portions along the channel depth. This unitary plastic structure must be sufiiciently rigid to be capable of handling and mounting as a unit on a preformed wood frame of conforming sectional contour. A suitable degree of flexibility is also re quired to permit conforming the plastic shell to minor irregularities in the window frame surfaces and adjoining rough wall surfaces.

Nail holes 63 (FIG. 1) may be provided in the flanges 48 and 52 so that these flanges may be nailed to the rough wall members 32. The window frame structure shown in the drawings has. sash which are hingedly mounted to the jamb members 14 and 16 and a length of the sill member 12 adjacent to each side jamb member is formed with a recess to receive hinge hardware as indicated at 54 and 56- Such recess areas are sealed off by pockets molded into the plastic channel, as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 4. The hardware is merely fastened in the usual manner in these pockets. Preferably, a coating of water repellant adhesive is applied to the outer surfaces of the wood frame members or to the inner surfaces of the covering channel prior to slipping the latter over the frame. A suitable adhesive may be used in this manner to form a continuous water impervious bond between the wooden frame members and plastic channel.

The bends in the covering plastic channel formed in conforming it to the cross sectional contour of the various wood frame members are such that there are no sharp corners in which dirt, moisture, etc. can gather. It is also a feature that the inner surfaces of the plastic channel members conform to the underlying surfaces of all of the respective wood frame members so that the channel covering fits in snug seating engagement with the underlying wood members and the thin plastic channel members are adequately supported by the wood members.

Although the illustrated embodiment of this invention has been described for covering the outwardly extending portions of a double casement type window frame to a predetermined depth, it will be evident that the invention is also applicable to provide a unitary covering structure for the inwardly extending portions of the frame. In the latter case, since the plastic channel will be located inside of the building closure, the covering may be primarily for ethetics, rather than for protection of the wood frame surfaces.

Both the interior and exterior surfaces of the wood frame may be covered in a like manner with plastic channel members. The latter may be joined together along their respective stop flanges 46 and 50 by heat fusion or by other means, such as plastic or metal tabs or clips spaced along the adjoining inner peripheries of the exterior and interior covering channel shells.

Obviously, further variations may be made within the teachings of this invention. It is equally applicable to frame structures of doors and of any single or multiple window type and to frames of various other configurations 5 as well as those of generally rectangular shape.

I claim:

the channels.

References Cited 2 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,854,072 9/1958 Winnan 11x 3,012,642 12/1961 Emmerich 20'11X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,227,913 3/1960 France.

877,294 9/1961 GreatBritain.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, KENNETH DOWNEY,

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiners. 

